The Early Years of Kudo Shinichi
by sakunade
Summary: Kudo Shinichi, a thirteen year old detective! Take a glimpse into the life of Shinichi when he was only thirteen years old. (Yep, I suck at summaries don't I? Chapter 4 is up)
1. Mixed Feelings

"There's no such thing as a perfect crime. Any good Detective would agree with me on that. No matter how small the details, or how complicating a case may seem, there's always a way to find the culprit." He smirked, cupping his chin. His facial expression made it appear that he was in deep thought. "Heh Heh Heh.."

"Kudo-kun, please pay attention to the board"

"Gyaah!" right at that moment, thirteen year old Kudo Shinichi fell off his chair, along with his notebook and textbook, and went pumbling towards the floor. The class was in an uproar. The teacher just stood there, her arms crossed around her chest, tapping her foot with an angry glare cast upon her face.

"Shinichi, I told you to stop thinking outloud! Especially over that stupid detective stuff" He glanced up, looking at a thirteen year old Mouri Ran. She didn't seem very happy, especially since she looked so cute with her cheeks puffed in anger. The blushing across her cheeks helped her too.

He sighed, and then gave off a big smile, scratching his head. "G-Gomen Nasai, Sensei.."

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**Chapter one**

"Don't scold me for not paying attention in class.."

"I wasn't _going_ to scold you!"

"Oh yes you were, I could tell by the way you looked at me during class that you were going to give me the scolding of my life!"

"It's not my fault that you weren't paying attention during class.."

He sighed, placing his hands behind his head as the two walked around the hallways. At the moment, the students were on their lunch break. Shinichi and Ran had just finished eating their lunch outside, as they discussed the "event" of the day. As they walked down the hallway, many of their classmates would snicker towards Shinichi and Ran. Apparently, they thought Shinichi had made a fool of himself, which he would admit, since he was thinking outloud again. This didn't happen often. Of course, he blames the teacher for making class so _dull_ anyways. He grinned, carrying around his Sherlock Holmes book as they both walked back into the classroom.

Some of the seats were empty, mostly because they were too busy eating outside or something. The only kids in the room were Shinichi, Ran, and a small gang of girls near the windows. Shinichi and Ran had sat across from each other ever since elementary school, which they didn't find odd at all. They've been friends since forever, knowing each other since they were little kids. Ran's father, was a police officer until recently. He was kicked out of the force, and became a Private Eye. Her mother, was a successful lawyer. Oh, and they were also divorced.

Shinichi's parents, however, weren't. His dad, was a famous mystery writer, and his mom a famous actress known almost all around. Maybe that's why Shinichi had such a keen interest in mystery and detectives. He grew up surrounded by mystery novels from all over the world. He in particular enjoyed Sherlock Holmes.

"Why do you always carry that stupid book with you?"

"What if someone would steal it?"

"Who would want to steal a detective book anyways?"

"You never know." He sighed, tilting his chair back a bit, making sure that he wouldn't fall. The last time he tilted his chair back, was earlier when the teacher had caught him saying things outloud.

She glanced at him, and then crossed her arms across her chest. "Did you even do the Japanese homework?"

"...What Japanese homework?"

Ran sighed, placing her hand on her forehead. "You were reading that book again weren't you?"

He grinned, sweatdropping. "Well.." but before he could say anything, he tilted way too back, and he fell again. Ran knelt by his side, worried. But at the same time, she couldn't help herself to laugh at him. He gave her a look, and then sighed. "What are you laughing for?"

"Oh nothing" She continued laughing. The laughing turned into small giggles.

"You love watching me get tortured, eh?"

"Oh no, it's not that." She tried to control herself. "It's just that that look on your face..it was priceless!"

He sighed. He stood up, fixing the chair. He could hear a few giggles coming from the other side of the classroom. Apparently, the small gang of girls had witnessed him fall. He blushed, scratching his head and then sitting back down on his chair, this time not tilting it back. Ran, noticed this, and couldn't help herself to giggle softly once more.

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"Okay students, for homework you'll have pages --" The bell rang right at that moment. Before the teacher could speak, the students were already running out of classroom, that is, except for Shinichi and Ran. They watched all their classmates leave in a hurry, and decided to wait until the traffic subsided. They looked over at the teacher, who slumped into her chair and let out a happy sigh.

"Don't worry Sensei." Shinichi would remark, patting her on the back with a grin. "You could always--"

"Shinichi!! C'mon!" Ran had pulled him by the collar before Shinichi could say anymore, he just waved bye to her as Ran dragged him out of the classroom. The teacher glanced over at them, and waved with an odd look on her face.

They finally made it to the locker rooms, which were half-empty, except for some older students, as well as a few of their own. It didn't take them long to finish, as soon as the clock turned three, they were already out of the school, walking along the sidewalk.

"Want me to tell you more about Sherlock Holmes?" He grinned, placing his hands into the pockets of his denim jacket. His blue eyes darting towards Ran.

"No" She said immediately, huggling her small backpack to her chest. "I don't want to hear more about this _Holmes_ guy anymore" She said his name as if she was mocking him.

"Awwwh, c'mon! He's the best detective ever!"

"I'm sure he is."

"How about I lend you some of my books? I could always sneak them off my dad's library when he's not looking"

"No, it's okay. I don't want to become a detective geek like you, Shinichi"

He noticed that a no meant no. He sighed, giving her a small smile as they continued walking down the sidewalks. The day was a rather bright one. The sun was bright. Many people filled the sidewalks, most of them school students who had just been released from school.

"Hey Ran..didn't you have karate practice today?" He asked her, breaking the silence between them. There was this eerie silence that was between them ever since he was pestering her about letting her borrow some of his dad's books. He thought that she was mad at him for pestering her and all, but apparently it wasn't the case.

"No, because sensei had cancelled practice for today."

"Ohhh." He shrugged, and then looked up into the sky. For some reason, he was feeling, somewhat _uncomfortable_ being around her. Just today, he had noticed how _cute_ she looked when she giggled, and when she gave him that face the first time he fell.

Ran noticed that Shinichi has been acting weird around her lately. She blinked, stopping infront of him. "..umm, are you okay?"

He blushed, shaking his head. "Y-Yes!" _I'm such a fool.._

"Maybe you're sick. We should get you home as soon as possible.."

"Nawh, it's okay. I'll drop you off home and then I'll go back by myself, no worries...heh" He nodded, patting her on the back. Ran blinked, sweatdropping as they continued walking. She couldn't help it. But something about Shinichi's behavior made her _think_ that something was up with him. She didn't know what, but hopefully she would figure it out soon. She _was_ a tad curious. '_Maybe I'll ask Otou-san..'_ She then just thought over what she had said in her head. '_Actually..I'll call kaa-san later after dinner.._'

It didn't take them long to reach Ran's house, which was actually an agency on-top of a coffee place. She waved, as she walked up the stairs into her place. Shinichi watched, until she waved at him from the windows. The windows were rather big, with the words "Mouri Kogoro Tantei" or somewhat like that. He then nodded, waving back at her, and made his way to his place. He liked the freedom of walking by himself, this way, he could think over about many things, without getting interrupted. It was also a habit of his to look almost all around him, scanning his surroundings even for the littlest detail. The truth of the matter was that, Shinichi had often thought of himself becoming a detective when he was old enough.

He could remember the conversation he had with Ran the other day about the same topic.

_'Why don't you become a mystery writer instead like your dad?'_

_'It's not fun that way, I wanna live through the adventures, Ran!'_

_'But you could get introuble..especially if you stick your nose into bad business'_

_'That's not gonna happen.'_

He had just approached the large gates to his house. His house was practicularly big, if you would think of it as a ghost house, one could almost assume that. He looked over at a rectangular board near the bell, which read: "Kudo". He reached up to the bell and rang it.

"Shiiin-chan! Is that you?" A feminine voice could be heard from the speaker. Her voice seemed very enthusiastic.

"Yesss. Can you let me in kaa-san?"

"Oh but of course!" She giggled, and then opened the gates from inside. Shinichi sighed, and walked towards his house, before he could open the doors to the house, a pair of hands grabbed him from inside.

"W-Whaat? Oh, it's only you Kaa-san"

His mother stood there, snuggling him in his arms. She was somewhat tall, with long light brown curly hair. "Oooh, but look at you Shin-chan you're already thirteen! Soon you'll be fifteen, then seventeen, then twenty with a wife, and hopefully give your kaa-san some grandchildren!"

He blushed red, and tried to get away from his mother's grip. "Kaa-saaan!" He then sighed, and allowed her to snuggling him all he wanted. There was no use, anyways. Once she had him in his grip, there was no going back.

"You're making me look old.." She sniffled comically, and then let go of him. "Anyhow, where's Ran-chan?"

He glanced at her, still a bit red in the face. "I walked her home a few minutes ago.."

"Awh! That's so cute! Why don't you invite her to come to our house sometime?"

"Her dad would kill me."

"Tell him that I sent you! I miss Ran-chan. I haven't seen her in a while."

"You saw her last week"

"Last week's still a while Shin-chan." She patted him on the head. "Besides, how are you going to get her to be your girlfriend if you don't invite her more often?"

He blushed. "Kaa-saan!" She pushed him into the house, closing the door behind them.

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For some odd reason, Shinichi couldn't help getting what his mom had told him the other day. He sighed, looking up into ceiling. It was another day. Another day in school, another day of boring things to come. He placed his elbow on his desk, and waited for the teacher to come. Ran blinked, glancing towards him from her desk. _He looks out of it today.._

Indeed, he was out of it today. Especially after his mom gave him that talk about making Ran his girlfriend and what-not. The thing that was bothering him was, that it kept nagging him in his head. _Me and Ran? Girlfriend and boyfriend? Bleh! I dunno why I keep thinking about it, but it's annoying the hell out of me.._ He blushed, glancing at Ran for a few good seconds before removing those eyes from her.

_But then again..I mean.._ He blushed even more.

"What're you thinking about Shinichi?"

He jumped from his desk, standing right up hearing Ran speak to him. His face was even redder than before. "NOTHING!". He spoke so loudly that everyone in his classroom turned around, facing them. He could feel his face get redder and redder by the minute. Ran couldn't help but blush either, and then walked back towards her seat. Shinichi felt like he stood there infront of them for what seemed like _forever_.

"Now now students, please settle yourselves down, class has started." The teacher looked up at Shinichi, and sweatdropped. "Kudo-kun, are you doing okay today?" The classroom was filled with an uproar of laughter once again, as Shinichi sinked back into his seat, sweatdropping.

_Damnit, I hate being thirteen.._

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So, how's that! This story is basically about Shinichi and Ran when they were thirteen. I dunno what age his parents when to America, but I doubt they'll leave a thirteen year old unsupervised...ah well, I hope everyone enjoys the fic, and I'll try and upload a chapter as soon as I can.


	2. The Birth of a Detective

**Chapter two**

He sighed, burying his face into his Sherlock Holmes novel. While reading, he couldn't help but blush and glare at certain classmates of his. That small gang of girls that always sat by the windows were gacking at him, throwing giggle fits. Apparently, what happened earlier this morning was what they would consider as _cute_. While the guys all thought he was an idiot. Ran didn't approach him all day ever since then, and this made him very uncomfortable. He shook his head, trying to pay attention to his book:

_" 'My dear Holmes!' " ejaculated Watson.._

_Darnit!_ He closed the book, placing his bookmark in between the pages in which he had left off. He placed his arms behind his head, glancing up towards the ceiling. _I can't stop feeling like I've somehow made Ran uncomfortable or something.._

Those blues eyes would concentrate themselves on the ceiling, remarking every single detail. He did this so he wouldn't be distracted by anything else, especially since he could still here those darn giggles.

_White tiles, a little dirt in between the edges..._

Okay. So the ceiling wasn't the most _interesting_ subject. He shook his head, feeling a little dizzy. He then glanced outside the window. Fortunately, the gang of giggling girls weren't there anymore. He arched a brow, as he noticed a familiar figure walking outside.

_Oh, it's Ran.._

He blushed a little, remembering what he was thinking about earlier. She wasn't by herself though. He got up from his chair, and walked towards the window, placing his face on the window to get a better look. _She's with some guy.._ He could see how she was smiling, being all happy. While the guy was telling her a few things, probably some jokes.

But even if it all seemed friendly, Shinichi couldn't help but feel, somewhat _jealous._

_Wait a second..I'm jealous?!_

Surely he was just over-reacting.

_I shouldn't be, I mean..me and Ran, we're like that too. _

They were practically joined at the hip! He shook his head, and gave a somewhat odd look as he watched the guy try to hold Ran's hand. He blushed, and then shook his head. _Ran would never go for a guy like that.._

He saw her giggle, but she didn't notice the guy trying to hold her hand. He sighed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help himself but to continue looking. Perhaps he was jealous?.

"Pfft, there's no need to.."

Right at that moment, he saw Ran turn her head around and glance up the windows. She didn't seem very happy..

_Oh crap! She spotted me!_

Right at that moment he turned around, and noticed someone standing there. Apparently, this person had watched him the whole time.

"Ahh, Shinichi-kun." Sonoko would reply, crossing her arms against her chest. She smirked. "Spying on Ran weren't you?"

"What's it to you?" He blushed, and gave her a look. "I wasn't, anyways. It just so happened that Ran was walking outside when I wanted to look outside.."

"Yeah, and I have twenty cute boyfriends"

"Who would want to date you anyways?" He mumbled, making sure that Sonoko couldn't hear him, because if she did, she'd find a way to make his life a living hell.

She giggled. "It's cute though."

He blinked, blushing some more. "Whaat?! I told you. I DON'T like her"

"It's cuter when you keep denying it.."

He sighed, and walked back to his desk. "What are you doing here anyways? You're not in our class"

"No, but I came looking for Ran. Instead of finding her I found you, and spying on her too!"

"I wasn't SPYING on her!"

"Who was spying on me?"

Sonoko and Shinichi turned around, and notice Ran standing before them. The guy who was with her must've left back to his class. "Someone was spying on me?" She blinked, walking towards them.

"Yep. Shinichi-kun was spying on you Ran.." Sonoko would comment, giving off a devishly grin.

"N-NO! I WASN'T!" He blushed, and then looked the other way. "I was just looking outside..and then I saw you with..some _guy_.."

"Oh, you mean Mamoru-kun?"

"Yeah, whatever his name is.." He shrugged.

"We're just friends." She then blinked, thinking it over. "Shinichi..does that mean that you were..?"

"That I was..what?" _I'm not jealous. Nope, I'm not..._

She then sighed. "Forget it. So, Sonoko what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Shinichi sighed, watching the two girls walk out of the classroom and converse about stuff. Whatever it was, he didn't want to get involved in it, especially if it was girly-girl stuff. He was all alone in the classroom now. Even the teacher had stepped out for lunch. He shrugged, grabbing his book from his desk, and opening it to where he left off.

So far, today was proving to be quite interesting. First off, there was what happened this morning, second off was him spying on Ran and getting jealous. As much as he would deny it to others, he couldn't deny it to himself. Which brought back that stupid conversation with his mom. Due to the fact that all he could think about was that conversation, he didn't pay attention during Japanese class. His eyes would glance towards Ran for a few seconds, and then looked back at the board.

_Am I always going to be like this?_

After class, he noticed that Ran had left on her own. Which proved his theory. It did seem like she was uncomfortable around him, and this didn't make him feel any better either. He then thought about it. As much as he would probably make a fool of himself, he was going to confront her about it. He rushed out of the school, and looked around trying to find her. He then noticed her crossing the street, and then went after her.

"Ran!"

He would scream, hoping that she would turn around and notice him. Which she did, to his fortune. She stopped after crossing, and waited for him to cross as well. Well, if that's what you called it. At the very moment that Shinichi went to cross the street, the light had turned red, allowing the other cars to pass by, but this didn't stop him. He ran as fast as he could, dodging a few cars and insults like 'You stupid kid, watch where you're running!' or 'What are you, a maniac?!'. He finally crossed the street, and stopped to catch his breath.

Ran couldn't help but give him an odd look. "..Shinichi?"

"Hey-Ran-I-need-to-talk-to-you.." He would say, still trying to catch his breath.

"You could catch your breath yanno..it's not like I have to be at home right now. Dad probably thinks i'm in Karate practice.."

He nodded, and then faced front. His hand would wipe away the sweat from his brows as he looked at her. He blushed, and then turned the other cheek, before opening his mouth to speak:

"I'm.."

"You're..what, Shinichi?" She blinked, awaiting his answer.

"I'm so-sorry.."

"Sorry for what?"

"I'm.." He then took in a deep breath, and said it. "I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable!"

She blinked, blushing. "Umm..well.."

"It's okay if you didn't feel like speaking to me all day because of this morning.."

"But..you _didn't_ make me feel uncomfortable.."

He blinked. His whole face turned red. "Well..umm, oops, heh heh.."

She smiled, and patted him on the back. "It's alright though. You could never make me feel uncomfortable Shinichi."

He blinked, and then gave her a smile, the red-ness disappearing from his face, but small traces could still be found in his cheeks. "Well, then..want me to walk you home?"

"Sure, why not."

The two would walk home from there, as the clouds began to cover the entire city, warning the citizens to prepare themselves for some rainfall.

"That's a _stupid_ idea"

"No it isn't, it seems like a cool one to me."

"You only say that because YOU'RE the one who came up with it"

"So what if I did? I still think it's cool"

"You really think people are going to come to you for help, Shinichi?"

He smirked, sitting in his chair writing something on a piece of paper. "But of course!"

It was the next day, right after school ended. Ran and Shinichi, along with a couple of their classmates were assigned with cleaning duty, and they had just finished when Shinichi began writing something down on paper. Ran would sigh, curious to know what he was writing.

"You're just trying to make easy money.."

"No, my services will be entirely free."

She sighed. "Fine, whatever. Do what you want. You'll be disappointed when nobody shows up.." She walked out of the classroom, heading towards the locker rooms downstairs leaving Shinichi by himself. He continued smirking, placing the finishing touches. Once he was finish, he too would walk down the stairs to the locker rooms. Ran was waiting for him, so he rushed.

"Oh wait, I gotta put this up first."

"Fine, but don't take too long!"

Shinichi grabbed some duck tape from his locker and placed it on the edges of the paper. He sticked it right near the entrance of the locker rooms. Once he finished, he closed his locker and ran back towards Ran.

The paper would say:

_Kudo Shinichi, detective!_

_If you are in need of my services, please leave a note in my locker and I shall get to you right away!_

_no fees._


	3. First case: a case of the heart

**Chapter three**

"Look!" a smile would appear on his face, as he grasped the paper in his hands. The paper, apparently was stuck on Shinichi's locker by means of duck tape. He quickly, and carefully began to remove it. Once he did, he gave it to Ran. "Heh Heh! I knew I would've gotten a case!" _Even though I was kind of expecting more than just one.._

Ran blinked, looking at the paper.

_Dear Kudo-kun,_

_I have a case for you. Please meet me after school near the locker rooms at 3:20._

_Signed, Your first case._

She sighed. "That doesn't mean anything."

"Oh yes it does, I got my first case." he grinned, as he cupped his chin. "Heh Heh Heh.."

"..You're an idiot you know that?" Ran shook her head, and then turned around. "If you don't mind, I'm going to go to class before I get a late pass.."

Shinichi blinked, watching Ran go. He then glanced at his watch. "Oh crap! I'm going to be late!" he thus began to dash after Ran.

"Do you seriously think that this isn't a joke?"

"Who knows." he grinned, looking around. "If it _is_ a case though, then I'll make sure to give it my all."

Ran sighed. "Whatever, I'm heading home."

"What? you're going to stay and watch me?"

"Why would I? I'm not interested in detective stuff like you are Shinichi.."

He sighed. "B-but.." but before he could persuade her to stay, Ran had already walked out of the doors. _Darn it, and I wanted to impress her too.._

"Kudo-kun?"

Blinking, Shinichi turned around. "Huh?"

"Ehh, you put that poster up about being a detective, right?" A boy that was about a year older than Shinichi glanced at him. He wasn't that tall, but somewhat taller than Shinichi. He seemed, very attractive for a boy his age..

Shinichi nodded. "Yep, that's me. Kudo Shinichi, detective at your service."

"I need you to help me with something."

"Obviously, if you left that note on my locker. So, what seems to be the trouble? did your parents get kidnapped and you're trying to find them? did you find a dead body on your way to school? were you blamed for a crime you did not commit?"

The boy sweat dropped. "Umm, no not really."

"Then, what is it?"

"Well, a few months ago I went out with this girl from my class. She wasn't what you would call, 'sexy' or 'pretty' or anything, but she was pretty plain if you asked me. I don't know why I went out with her, but.." He shrugged. "I guess it was just a thing. Well anyways, after a few months, I broke up with her. She begged me not to, but I had to. I didn't want the guys to know that I was going out with an girl like her. Anyways, she called me the other day, and she said that if I don't go back to her, she's going to make copies of this picture she has of us together and spread it throughout the whole school!"

Shinichi couldn't believe what he was just hearing. _From the looks of it, this guy is really shallow and despicable. _

"So, are you going to help me or not?"

"Ehh, what do you want me to do, exactly?"

"I need you to find that picture! I tried looking into her locker sometimes, but it wasn't there."

"I doubt she'd leave it in such an obvious place."

"Then?! where could she be keeping it in?!"

"I don't know." Shinichi shrugged, leaning against a wall. "It could be inside her book bag, or her house, or even in her shoes who knows?"

"Well then, It's YOUR job to look for it!"

"Don't worry about it. I'll find it for you.." _Why does my first case have to be something like this?_

"You BETTER! If I don't have that picture by the end of the week, I'm shoving you in a trash can, and roll you down a hill."

Shinichi sweat dropped. "Ehh, d-don't worry, y-you'll have the picture by the end of the week, promise!" _This shouldn't be hard, I mean, how many secret hiding places can a girl have?_

The boy gave Shinichi his phone number and address, and walked away.

Shinichi spent most of his time spying. During the morning, he sneaked into the girl's classroom and digged into her desk, only to be caught by the teacher of that homeroom. During lunch break, Shinichi spied on the girl from afar, as she ate by herself, hoping that she would give at least some kind of hint if she carried it on her, but Ran had dragged him away saying that it wasn't right to spy on others, especially girls.

He was getting nowhere. It seemed like his first case was going to be his last if he didn't hurry up and find some sort of clue.

While walking Ran home, like he usually did when she didn't have Karate practice, an idea popped in his head.

"Hey Ran, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what kind of question though?"

"If you had something important, where would you keep it?"

"What'dya mean by important?"

"Something that means a lot to you."

She blinked, and glanced at him. "Why are you asking me this?"

"I'm just curious."

She glared at him for a couple of seconds, then sighed. "Well, if it were me, I'd keep it somewhere close to me. Like, in a diary or something.."

He blinked. "..I see.."

"Why are you asking?"

He shook his head. "Nothing."

_Well, that kind of helped. Jeez, girls are so weird._

That night, Shinichi couldn't sleep. All he thought about was the case. First off, if that picture was really important to her, she'd most likely keep it in a place that only she knew about. Either that, or somewhere very secret. Second off, there was what Ran had said earlier. She could be keeping the picture in one of her notebooks, or even possibly a diary, but she wasn't carrying around a notebook. If she did, she'd knew that that guy would most likely have been trying to snatch it back without her knowing so she would've been seen carrying some sort of notebook with her...

_This case is simple, I just got to think enough. Think Shinichi, think!_

"Can't sleep, eh Shin-Chan?"

Shinichi glanced from his bed, and saw his mom standing above him. "Kaa-san, when did you--?"

"I sneaked in to check up on you. You looked so deep in thought that I guess you didn't notice me come in." She sat by his bedside. "So, what exactly _are_ you thinking about? Is it a girl?" she giggled.

"_No_, I'm trying to help someone." He then decided to ask his mom about it. She was a girl, after all. She should know about this kind of stuff. "Ne, Kaa-san.."

She blinked, tilting her head a bit. "Hmm?"

"Where would you keep something important?"

"Something important?" She was confused by his question.

He sighed. "I mean.." he sat up. "Like something _really_ important."

"Ohh!" She smiled, placing her hands near where her heart was. "If it was something that was given to me by a loved one, or something that reminded me of a loved one, then I would keep it close to my heart. That way, wherever I go, then that person's 'essence', as I would think it as, will be with me"

"Oh, I see. So like, in a locket or something like that?"

"A locket, a special notebook like a diary. It depends on how big or small that special something is.."

Shinichi smirked. _I get it now. It all makes sense now that Kaa-san has helped me. Even though, I'm reluctant to admit it.._

"Did I help you, Shin-Chan?"

He nodded, and then layed back on his bed. "Mhm. My mind is clear now, thanks Kaa-san."

"You know where she's keeping it?!"

Shinichi had contacted the boy the following morning, telling him that he had figured out the case. "Yeah, now all we have to do is figure out how to get the picture from her.."

"Why can't we just take it?"

Shinichi sighed. "Just meet me in front of the locker rooms after school, okay?"

That afternoon, as soon as Shinichi walked down the stairs to the locker rooms, the boy was already there waiting for him. It seemed like he was much more anxious to get the picture back.

"So, how are we going to get the picture from her?" the boy would ask, leaning against the wall.

"First off, she's staying after school for tutoring, so we're going to have to wait until tutoring finished."

"And?"

"Afterwards, you'll confront her about the picture, while I'll be listening outside the class room, alright?"

The boy nodded. "Alright. Once I get that picture from her, I'm making sure she never speaks to me again."

Shinichi sweat dropped. _This guy.._

Tutoring class didn't take that long. While they waited, Shinichi thought to himself. Well, he tried to anyways, but that boy wouldn't shut up about stuff like 'I'll teach her a lesson' or 'Damnit, I can't believe she still had that stupid picture with her' and

'I don't even know why I went out with her'.

Once all the kids left the classroom, the boy entered, approaching the girl.

"Azumi!" the boy shouted, glancing at her from the doors.

She looked towards him and blinked. "Shiina?"

"I'm here for the picture, you better hand it over if you know what's good for you!"

"If you think I'm going to give you the picture, then you're kidding yourself. I'm never giving you our picture!"

He glared. "Azumi, why?! we broke up a long time ago, why do you keep that stupid picture with you?!"

"It's none of your business! you were the one who asked me out, and you were the one who broke up with me. The only way I can get revenge on you is by showing everyone in the school this picture!"

Shinichi glanced from outside, peeking through. _Jeez, it's like one of those bad American Soap Operas that kaa-san watches.._

Shiina began to approach closer towards Azumi, and took out his hand. "Give me the picture, now!"

"No! you're NEVER getting this picture, EVER!"

"But what if he already has it?"

They both turned around, and saw Shinichi approach them. Azumi blinked. "What?! Shiina already has--"

"That's right. He sneaked in and got it before you even realized it."

At that moment, Azumi digged into her shirt, taking out a locket. She opened the heart and saw..

"W-Wait! the picture. it's still.."

"I figured that you would keep the picture inside of your locket." Shinichi remarked. "It's simple, since you didn't keep it in your locker, nor your book bag, nor in a notebook of the sort."

Azumi glanced up at Shinichi, and then sighed. "The only reason why I keep the picture with me is because.." She then glanced at Shiina, with a few tears in her eyes. "Shiina, I had such a fun time going out with you. I didn't believe it when you broke up with me. The only way I could remember our relationship, is if I kept the picture.."

"Then why were you forcing me to get back with you?"

"I thought, that if I forced you to come back, with the picture and all, that you would come back to me. Nobody would want to go out with an ugly duckling like me. I'm unpopular, my hair's not all long and shiny like the other girls. For once, a guy liked me for me, and I was so.." She sobbed a bit. "I was so happy with you Shiina.."

Shiina sighed, looking the other way. "Well then. I guess.. you could keep the picture, and we could be friends instead? I mean, I did like you don't get me wrong Azumi, I just..listened to my stupid friends. I'm sorry."

Azumi nodded, rubbing her eyes. "I-It's okay Shiina."

Azumi and Shiina actually began dating again. Shinichi was the first to find out when Shiina unexpectedly called him the following night. Shinichi was happy to know that they were back together, and that everything was sorted out in a peaceful manner. As for the picture, Shiina now carries one with him wherever he goes.

That next day...

"So, that's what happened."

"Really? I can't believe Shiina-kun had a change of heart so quickly. I guess he really did like Azumi-chan." Ran would say, as she stood beside Shinichi's desk.

He glanced up at her. "Yeah, in fact, Shiina told me himself that he still liked Azumi-chan even after breaking up with her. He was just reluctant to admit his feelings.."

"That's so romantic." Ran smiled, turning towards the window. "I hope that I find a guy like that someday.."

"You want a guy that breaks up with you only because his friends told him to?"

She glared back at him. "No! I meant.." she blushed looking down. "A guy who would..tell me that he _likes_ me and all.."

Shinichi blushed, looking at Ran. "Umm..well.."

"Kudo-kun!, Mouri-chan! would you two please sit down so we could start class?"

Apparently, they didn't notice that class had started just a couple of minutes ago..

-------------------

-Stretches-. This was hard for me to write. So, I kinda borrowed the idea of this case from "A scandal in bohemia", one of the cases that Sherlock Holmes did. I think I'm going to use some of his cases, and adapt them to what kind of cases Shinichi would get in Junior High. I don't really like this chapter, but at least I survived!


	4. Second case: the useless case

**Chapter four**

The events of the previous day had some found its way around the school. Of course, this was something Shinichi _expected_. It was only a matter of time that people began to recognize just how _good_ he was. The morning after, Shinichi noticed that he had received a couple of _awards_ for his success on his first case. At first, he didn't know exactly _what_ kind of papers they were, but once he opened his locker, he was soon found underneath a rather large pile of pink papers. Not only papers, but cards, little notes, post its, etc. Of course, he soon began to assume that these pink papers were not ordinary. He picked one of them, and sniffed it. An odd odor soon filled his nostrils. _Perfume?_ He picked up a few other cards and began to sniff them. They were _all_ sprayed with some type of perfume. Some smelled good, but a few others, made him sick to his stomach.

"What am I going to actually _do_ with all of this?" he questioned himself, shoving them all back into his locker. A few girls passed by him giggling. He blushed, giving them a rather odd look. _Since when was I so popular with girls?!_ He had to admit, he was actually _enjoying_ all the attention. A smirk was instantly plastered unto his face, as he finished stuffing all the letters into his locker. _Wow, I never knew that from my first case, I would impress so many girls, Heh!_ Packing all the necessary notebooks and textbooks needed for today's class, the so-called detective walked up the stairs and walked into his classroom. Unlike other mornings, today was practically quiet. Many of the students were home, most likely sick from that virus that's been going around the neighborhood. Unfortunately for him, Ran was also inflicted with the virus. He found his seat, and sat down. His eyes would glance towards the board, as the teacher began to prepare for today's lesson. Shinichi thought to himself that he'd rather go solve the toughest case ever, than go through Algebra.

-----------------------------

"Did I miss anything today during class?"

"Not really, unless you count learning new formulas"

A sigh would escape from her lips, as her eyes would dart themselves towards Shinichi. After school, he promised to visit her, and give her the low down on what happened in class, plus, bring along her homework. "Did you even pay attention?"

He scoffed. "I decided that Algebra was too bothersome and gave up."

It was at times like this that Ran had wished she wasn't sick with some virus. If she wasn't, she'd probably give Shinichi a good kick to the head. "It's okay; I'll just call Megumi-Chan later."

His body would shrug, as he placed his arms behind his head. His cheeks would turn red, as he mumbled to himself. "Jeez."

Her eyes would blink for a couple of seconds before turning her eyes to him. He was acting, somewhat _strange_. Or at least, that is what her instincts told her. For that reason, she couldn't remove from her conscience, that conversation she had with her mother a couple of days ago.

'_Perhaps this boy likes you, Ran honey?'_

Her cheeks would instantly fill with a tint of red just thinking about it. Shinichi noticed this, and questioned her. "Ran?"

Her cheeks were filled with even more shades of red, as she looked at him. _Mom, I don't know if what you said to me that day was true but, could Shinichi really..?_

He leaned closer to her face, his blue eyes filled with concern. Ran took this the other way, and began to shove him away from her. "Shi-Shinichi, wait!"

"What's your _problem_?!" his cheeks were filled with a small tint of red, as a sigh would escape from his lips as well. "I was only trying to check your fever because your cheeks started getting redder and redder..." he shrugged. "I thought you were getting worse."

_Oh! So, that's why he was..._ and now she felt like a total idiot. She shrugged, and then gave him a smile. "S-Sorry. It's alright; I'll be fine by tomorrow."

"You _better_ be, 'cause if I have to pay attention in Algebra class tomorrow --"

She laughed to herself, and then patted him on the back. "Don't worry, don't worry!"

_She expects me to worry, and tells me NOT to? Girls are weirder than I thought. You would think they would WANT you to worry and all...but then again, Dad said to be careful around girls, that they were the most conniving creatures on this planet, and then Mom gave it to him..._

"Well then, I should be going now. It's almost time for dinner, and Mom does expect me home."

She smiled, and nodded watching him leave. Once she was by herself at last, she laid on her bed her eyes glancing up the ceiling. She smiled to herself, blushing a bit. _I guess, feeling this way isn't as bad as I thought it would be._

Just as Ran had promised the other day, she was present for school the next day. She walked into the locker room just in time to watch Shinichi try to dispose of those pesky love letters. Curious by nature, she approached him.

"What are those?" she blinked.

He pulled a few more from his locker, and showed them to Ran. His eyes would glint; as yet another famous smirk would appear on his face. "Fan mail!"

Ran took the pieces of papers into her grasp, and then glared at Shinichi. "And you're enjoying all the attentions aren't you?"

"But just look at how _many_ I have! Just the other day, when you were absent, I only had 10, and now today --" he picked up a couple of more that had landed by his feet. "I could say that I have like 40 now."

She sighed, not impressed by his attitude. She didn't know whether to kick him in the face, or just walk away to ignore him. She liked the 'I'm going to kick you in the face for being such a conceited jerk!' idea, but at that very instant the bell rang. Of course, this wasn't going to stop her later on. There was, after all, after school.

Shinichi could feel that malicious contempt that arose from Ran, and decided it was best to make sure she wasn't around him with any sharp objects, or anything else that can cause harm. Of course, this didn't stop her from _trying_ on their way to class. As soon as they entered the classroom, Ran had her wish granted. Moments later, the so-called "Great Junior High Detective" received a _special_ gift from Ran. The gift was round and wide, and Shinichi wore it all day.

Shinichi's spirits were lifted that afternoon as he found another case for him to solve. He tore the paper from his locker, and read it out loud:

_Dear Shinichi-kun,_

_I have some business to deal with you, please wait for me after school around 3:10. It shouldn't take me that long to reach you, perhaps by the time you finish reading this note, I'll be right behind you._

_Signed,_

_Desperately in-love_

His eyes would blink at the name of the signature. "Desperately in-love?" his head would tilt, thinking over who could possibly need his help, especially with stuff like _love._ Why would this person go to _him_ for this kind of stuff?

"I knew by the time I'd get here you'd finish reading the letter"

He turned, and found himself face to face with a young girl. She had short blonde hair, and wasn't as tall as Shinichi. Unfortunately for him, it took him a few good minutes to recognize the girl, and his hatred for her couldn't have been any greater.

"Jeez, Sonoko."

Her eyes would instantly dart towards him, giving him a rather deadly glare. "It's your job, right? Detectives do this kind of stuff too you know"

"No they don't. They solve real cases like murder, finding missing objects or artifacts, forgery --"

"You read too much." she simply responded. "Besides, this is bigger than any case you'll probably ever have."

He scoffed at her. "I doubt it." he would mumble underneath his breath. His lips would release a sigh. _Do I really need to do this?!_

"Okay, now that I have your attention, I can proceed on with my dilemma. Just three days ago, I was walking out of the mall. Dad had just given me a new credit card, and I decided to spend my whole day there. So anyways, when I walked out, I met the most _gorgeous_ guy! He was sweet, and polite. Smart, and built, the perfect guy for me!"

_I'm sure you two had a lot to talk about..._ he thought sarcastically.

"So, we talked for what seemed like hours right? And then Dad came to pick me up. I was so sad, because that meant I had to say goodbye to my newfound prince charming. Then, something odd happened..."

His eyes would light up; perhaps this was more than what it seemed to be?

"I forgot to give him my phone number! Ugh, I couldn't _believe_ it when I got into the car and forgot to give him my number!"

_Then again, knowing Sonoko, that was expected._ He sighed.

"So after the driver drove me a good five blocks away from the mall, I told him to turn around and see if I could find my prince charming again and give him my number. So he did, but he wasn't there!"

_Probably realized what an idiot he was for actually talking to her..._

"So now, it's up to you Shinichi-kun, to find the mysterious prince charming for me!"

"No way". He said bluntly. He wasn't interested in this case at all.

"I'll pay you!"

"I don't _need_ your money"

She then smirked, leaning forwards. "If you don't solve this case for me, I'll tell Ran you have a _crush_ on her!"

He blushed, giving her a look. "Pfft, I don't have a _crush_ on her"

"Oh yes!"

"Oh no!"

"Oh yes!"

"Oh no!"

"Look, its _obvious_ how you feel about her Shinichi-kun. I heard from Megumi-Chan that one time, you two were talking to each other and blushing, and then the teacher made you sit down!"

_Tch, blasted girls. All they ever do is talk, talk, talk._ "So? That doesn't prove anything, now does it?" he was pretty confident that he could get away with lying, especially if Sonoko had somehow figured out that he kind of _did_ like her --- the results could be chaotic.

"You think that's _all_ I have on you?"

"What do you mean by that?!"

She smiled, pulling out photos. Most of them were of Ran, but when Shinichi looked at them closely, he could see -- himself! He was in every single picture, and to make matters worse, he was looking at Ran and _blushing_ like a total idiot.

He had to admit, this was pretty _low._ He sighed, looking at her with an odd look. He could do two things at the moment. A) Ignore Sonoko, let her give Ran those pictures of him blushing while looking at her, or B) give in to Suzuki Sonoko's stupid plot of finding some guy who probably didn't _want_ to be found, especially by her.

He had to pick which would benefit him in the end, even if he felt like he had just signed a deal with the devil himself.

"Fine." he replied.

She smiled, patting him on the back. "I _knew_ you would help me Shinichi-kun!"

"The only reason I'm actually helping you, is because you've attempted to blackmail me"

She giggled. "I wouldn't call it blackmail, Shinichi-kun. Since its obvious how you feel about her"

"Well," he would say to her. "I would call it blackmail"

The two proceeded to walk to the mall that Sonoko had shopped in the other day. Shinichi deducted, that this so-called 'Prince Charming' of hers could show up today, at the very same place the two had met the other day. But unfortunately for her, Prince Charming wasn't around.

"You told me that he would be around here today!" Sonoko glanced at him with a mean glare.

"What do you want me to do?! Track him down and stalk --" before he could finish his sentence, Sonoko had left his side. Apparently, her prince charming DID show up. He shrugged; sweat dropping as he walked out of the mall. Feeling like he had wasted his afternoon, he walked back home.

A few hours later, he received a phone call from Ran whom Sonoko called saying that she finally gave prince charming her number. Shinichi sighed, saying that that was good for her, in a sarcastic manner.

"Oh, that reminds me..."

He blinked. "Yeah?"

"Sonoko kept telling me about something." she thought about it, trying to remember what exactly Sonoko had told her. "It was something about these photos she had..."

Shinichi gulped. "I-It was probably pictures of her new dresses or something, heh."

"You're probably right, anyways Shinichi I have to go do my homework, so I'll talk to you tomorrow"

He shrugged, and smiled. "Sure, then I'll see you tomorrow, bye!" he hung up the phone, wiping some sweat that began to perspire from his forehead. _That was close! I can't believe she would do that to me, when I agreed to help her and all. Memo to self, don't trust Sonoko, ever again._ He then decided that today wasn't exciting at all, and that his second case, was a total waste of his time and intelligence.

_I hope I never have to deal with more cases like today's..._


End file.
